Singer/Songwriter brings something extra to Live Arts Los Angeles

Saturday, May 18 at 7 pm
$15 general, $12 students and seniors

Musician and essayist, Jason Luckett brings an evening of song, story and movement to the boulevard, Saturday, May 18, when he performs at Live Arts Los Angeles. A singer and guitarist, Jason’s work celebrates the cultural richness of Los Angeles, and this performance continues his effort to bring music out of clubs and into venues where a more intimate dialogue may occur. Recently, Jason has performed at Highways in Santa Monica, the Los Angeles Central Library as part of the ALOUD series, and locally in a residency at the Left Coast Wine Bar in which he and his invited guest artists create a musical salon. Percussionist Ossie Mair and dancer Haize Hawkins will accompany Jason at LALA.

Supporting six albums and three independently released EPs, Jason regularly tours the United States and Europe. He’s performed at South by Southwest in Austin, TX and Glastonbury Festival (UK), and has shared the stage or recorded with Tracy Chapman, the Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell and members of Bauhaus and Red Hot Chili Peppers. His latest disc, The Second Half of the Bet (Hope Again), moves organically through folk, jazz, rock and world influences, while retaining the strong personality of what Jason calls “miscegenated soul.”

At LALA, Jason will perform selections from his recent releases, preview new material and will incorporate pieces excerpted from recent shows exploring the lives of Emmett Till, Gil Scott-Heron and others.

“I’ve participated in LALA’s holiday programs the past couple years and love the energy that Karen and Jennifer have created, so I’m very excited to put together this evening of new music and collaborations with their support.”

DAY OF REMEMBRANCE/DAY OF HEALING

featuring Francis Awe and the Nigerian Talking Drum Ensemble

Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 8 pm
Live Arts Angeles

This show, which is normally performed in November, is returning again, by popular demand, to the LALA stage. The Nigerian Talking Drum Ensemble is a cultural group that educates its audience about Nigerian tradition and culture through the use of music, song, and dance. Though the performances are entertaining, there is always a moral message intertwined in each individual piece.

The show consist of the Master Nigerian drummer Francis Awe and dancer Omowale Orisayomi leading their group and students in the drumming and dancing of Nigeria that they have learned over the past years. This is also a performance about growth, rebirth, and the evolution of the human Spirit to always rise above adversity and to soar. In the show you will see traditional dances like Sango and Sabada, as well as riveting personal performances by different members of the class, revealing their triumph over adversity in their lives.

Francis Awe states, “I feel that my mission in life is not only to make the Dundun (Talking Drum) a universal instrument, but also to transmit the family aspect of African life to all people of the universe. My music goes beyond entertainment. I am interested in using this medium to unify people of all races and colors.”

ENGAGE presented by The Maven Imprint and Nassart

Friday, March 15, 1 pm-midnight
Live Arts Los Angeles
$10 with RSVP, $15 at the door

We are welcoming spring with a full day of live art, live music, poetry, fashion and creative minds finding expression through collaboration. All artists featured at ENGAGE are upcoming talents that truly deserve recognition. There will be a silent auction for all art exhibited and music heard will be available for purchase at the event.

Event Lay-Out:

1pm-6pm:
There will be an open to the public Art Exhibition featuring the artwork of Paulie Nassar (www.nassart.com) among local artists.

7pm-Midnight:
There will be a multitude of performances including live music from some of LA’s up an coming talent as well as LIVE ART BATTLES.

It’s time to party!

Saturday, December 15 from 4-8 pm

We hope you will join us for our 2nd Annual LALA Holiday Party, Open House, and Bazaar! We’ll have snacks, drinks, local artisans, dancing, and lots of warm holiday cheer. We’ll also have a sneak peek at our new studio space set to open in January.

We are very lucky to have Franck Balloffet, Joe Gamble, and Jason Luckett play at our event! And here are just a few of the artisans joining us:

CHIME Live

Sunday, December 9, 2012 at 7 pmLive Arts Los AngelesFREE to the public

Please join the 2012 CHIME artists as they share their insights into mentorship and choreography, and present showings of the work developed during their CHIME year. Hosted by Margaret Jenkins, a Q&A with the audience will follow.

Stacy Dawson Stearns (Mentor) is Bessie Award-winning interdisciplinary performance artist, teacher and scholar investigating symbolic language and the sensory experience of subjective reality. Her work has been presented nationally at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The Yard, PS 122 (NYC), Town Hall (NYC), MassMoCA, The Dance Place (D.C.), The Southern Theater (Minneapolis), RedCat (LA) and The Getty Villa (LA). A principal member of Big Dance Theater from 1993 – 2001, Stacy continues to collaborate with the company through video performance in their internationally acclaimed Commes Toujours Here I Stand, and choreography/ movement consultation for Supernatural Wife (premiered in December at BAM). Other creative collaborations include duet project, “The Outsiders” with Tim Cummings, David Neumann and his Advanced Beginner Group, and Blacklips Performance Cult. In 2012, Stacy is choreographing the finale for the National Theater of the United States of America’s piece, Chautauqua! at the Segerstrom Art Center’s Off-Center Festival, Jan 12 – 14.www.channelb4media.com/stacydawsonstearns.html

Gregory Barnett (Mentee) is a performance and visual artist in Los Angeles, California. Utilizing encoded imagery and gesture through mimetic choreography, comprehensive objectively ritualized criticisms of contemporary sex practices, and inherently kitschy americana-centered idealizations of suburban archetypes, Gregory and his interdisciplinary performing experiment, “DANCEGOOD.DAMNIT!!!”, have created various acclaimed works since 2006. His works include the evening neo-musical, DIE MUTHAFUCKAH DIE!!! (a eulogy) – an inevitably failed attempt towards accepting love’s relentless persistence through the embodiment of pop culture love songs and amateur pornography; and I Will Reapply This Lipstick Until You Give Me A Reason Not To/(going to put a bow on it) – BUT I DON’T UNDERSTAND – YOU LOOKED SO HAPPY., Barnett’s five-hour solo exploiting Betty Hutton’s biography and insufficient parameters. As a visual artist, Gregory is currently touring WHORACLE, a propaganda bomb focused on re-assimilating the Sacred Whore into Christianity.

Julie Tolentino‘s (Mentor) performance work is instigated by activism, care-giving, high profile organizing, and movement/installation/dance/endurance. Tolentino’s projects have been presented since 1998 – including commissions and notable support from Tramway/QueerUpNorth, On The Boards, The Kitchen, Participant Inc., Spill Festival, In Transit, Pact Zollverein, L.A.C.E., amongst others. She leads international workshops in solo-making, yoga and alignment. She is a co-creator of PRAXIS Mohave Bootcamp for Performance Artists and initiated the Feral Gallery, and an annual performance series in Joshua Tree, California. She has worked with artists including David Rousseve/Reality, Ron Athey, Vaginal Davis, Ibrahim Quarishi, Catherine Opie/Rodarte, Meg Stuart, Amy Pivar, Sondra Loring, Margarita Guergue, Barbara Hammer, Stosh Fila, Tom Kalin, Art Positive, Gran Fury, Diamanda Galas. She is certified in Thai, Watsu, Eastern and integrated aquatic bodywork. Her work points to key inquiries around loss, relationship, sexuality, age, intimacy, love and longing. www.julietolentino.com

Jmy James Kidd (Mentee) works out of Pieter, her dance studio and performance space in Los Angeles (opened January 2010). She lived in NY for ten years where she danced for luciana achugar, Walter Dundervill, Neil Greenberg, Stanley Love, Nancy Meehan and Sarah Michelson. She started MGM Grand, a dance trio with Biba Bell and Paige Martin; AUNTS, a performance platform; and CLASSCLASSCLASS, an independent dance pedagogy organization.

Cheng-Chieh Yu (Mentor) began her performance career touring with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. Then residing in NYC from 1989 to 2001, she performed in the companies of Gus Solomons, Jose Limon, Bebe Miller, and as a guest artist for the Ralph Lemon Dance Project. Her choreography has been produced by numerous venues in NYC and LA, as well as internationally in China, Singapore, Germany and Taiwan. Choreographic commissions include from Movement Research, Danspace at St. Mark’s Church (NYC), The Yard (Massachusetts), Beijing Modern Dance Co. and Guangdong Modern Dance Co. (China), Sun Shier Dance Theatre and Creative Society (Taiwan), and the Jumping Frames Dance Video Festival, (Hong Kong). She has received funding from City of LA/Cultural Affairs, the James Irvine Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, the Durfee Foundation, DTW Suitcase Fund, and the Cultural Council as well as the Arts and Culture Foundation of Taiwan. She is an Associate Professor of the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, UCLA. www.yudancetheatre.com

Sheetal Gandhi (Mentee) is an intercultural, multidisciplinary choreographer and performer. She creates work that is reflective of a life that embraces diversity, observes human experience, and yearns to tell a story. Gandhi’s career has spanned genres and disciplines for the last 16 years and includes her work as a creator and performer in Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion, and a leading role in the Broadway production of Bombay Dreams. She is currently touring her solo tour-de-force dance-theater work, Bahu-Beti-Biwi (Daughter-in-law, Daughter, Wife), which is being supported by an NDP Touring Award for 2012 – 2013. Recent honors include a 2011 L.A. Dance Advance Grant and the 2010 COLA Grant from the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs. Her work has been presented at The Painted Bride (Philadelphia), The Maui Cultural Center and Kahilu Theater (Maui and Kona, HI), Grand Performances (Los Angeles), The Lab Theater (Minneapolis), Bijlmer ParkTheater (Amsterdam), Highways Performance Space (Los Angeles), The Joyce Soho (NYC), REDCAT (Los Angeles), Erasing Borders Festival (NYC), National Asian American Theater Festival (NYC), and more. www.sheetalgandhi.com

Dream of A Fixed Escape

Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 8 pmLive Arts Los Angeles$15 at the door

Cherise Richards of Riptide Dance, Composer Brendan Byrnes and Video Artist Kerstin Hovland present an evening of dance, live music and video at Live Arts Los Angeles. The works in this production all revolve around modern day forms of escapism and how we condition ourselves to dissociate, fantasize, project, and avert.

The Cup of Blessings Workshop:

Saturday, November 24
8:00 – 10:30 pm

Join Healing Arts Practitioners Lisa Rouppas and Mary Frances Spencer in a unifying workshop to strengthen the neutral mind (heart chakra) and replenish our cup of blessings. A high-vibrating soundbath with aromatherapeutic essential oils will begin the journey. Hands-on mini body-work sessions for each attendee will follow. Modalities include Myofascial Release Therapy, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Energy & Chakra balancing, and Aromatherapy. An Intuitive Movement experience will close the workshop along with a gentle group meditation.

We hope all of you get a chance to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with friends or family or both. Since many of our teachers are taking time off over the long weekend, the studio will be closed for classes on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We will be hosting the “Cup of Blessings” Workshop on Saturday night from 8 to 10:30 pm. More on that in the next post.

Classes resume on Sunday with beginning ballet at 10:30 am and hip hop at 1 pm.